In short
PlateInsight is the closest extension to Dabers ANPR. Both can read a UK plate from a car photo with a right-click.
PlateInsight gives a free health score and red flags, and sells a full report for £4.99 with finance, stolen and write-off checks. Dabers ANPR shows the complete MOT history on the page for 1.75p to 2.5p a check.
PlateInsight is aimed at a buyer choosing one car. Dabers ANPR is priced and built for checking many.
PlateInsight comes from Vehicle Analytics Ltd, which also has iOS and Android apps. On 12 October 2026 its Chrome listing showed version 0.1.0, updated 1 August 2026, with no ratings and no user count displayed. The details below come from that listing and from plateinsight.co.uk. We have not run it.
What PlateInsight does#
On fourteen named sites, among them AutoTrader, eBay, Gumtree, Motors and Cinch, a "Check this car" button appears on the listing. If the plate is only in the photos, the listing says "one click reads it from the photo". On any other site you click the toolbar icon, or right-click a photo and choose "Read the number plate from this photo". You can also highlight a registration and right-click it.
The free check returns a health score out of 100 built from the MOT history, named red flags such as mileage anomalies and dangerous defects, mileage against similar cars, MOT expiry and tax status. It also compares the plate in the photo with the DVLA record, and the listing notes that a mismatch can mean a cloned plate. Each car comes with three questions to an AI assistant.
The paid part is the full report at £4.99, opened on the PlateInsight website: outstanding finance, stolen marker, insurance write-off and a valuation. The listing says there is no subscription and no account.
Side by side#
| PlateInsight | Dabers ANPR | |
|---|---|---|
| Reads the plate from a photo | Yes | Yes |
| How a check starts | Button on 14 sites, or right-click a photo, or highlight a reg | Right-click the car photo |
| What you get | Health score, red flags, test history, tax status | The full MOT history: every test, mileage, advisory and failure |
| Finance, stolen, write-off | In the £4.99 full report, on its website | No |
| Account | None | Sign-in needed |
| Cost on 12 Oct 2026 | Free check. Full report £4.99 | From 1.75p to 2.5p a check, see pricing |
Where PlateInsight is the better choice#
It does more for a private buyer. A score and a list of red flags are easier to act on than a raw test record if you do not read MOT histories every day. It needs no account, the basic check is free, and it can sell you the finance and write-off check in the same place. It also names Autotrader as a supported site, where Dabers ANPR support is limited today.
Where Dabers ANPR fits better#
A trade buyer usually wants the record more than a score. Dabers ANPR puts the whole DVSA history in a popup over the listing, so you read the advisories yourself and decide. Several popups can stay open at once, one per car.
On price, a £4.99 report is sensible for one car you intend to buy and expensive as a routine. The PlateInsight listing does not say whether the free checks in the extension are capped. Dabers ANPR publishes one rate that falls with volume, and the same image is never charged twice.
Dabers ANPR does not check finance, theft or write-off status. For that, on the car you are about to pay for, a full report from PlateInsight or another provider is still needed. Dabers ANPR vs MotorCheck covers a trade option, and how it works shows the Dabers ANPR lookup.
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